


In His Head

by LadyLampblack



Series: HLVRAI: Eternal Stream [1]
Category: Half-Life, Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Eternal Stream AU, Inappropriate Humor, Minor Emotional Crisis, Trapped Inside a Video Game, hlvrai au, short fic - 700 words or less
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:34:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24465034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLampblack/pseuds/LadyLampblack
Summary: Gordon Freeman has always been a puppet to the players.  One seems to finally be in a position to learn what he goes through despite everything new.
Relationships: Chester Mallory & the Science Team, Gordon Freeman & the Science Team
Series: HLVRAI: Eternal Stream [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767103
Comments: 12
Kudos: 53
Collections: Eternal Stream HLVRAI AU





	In His Head

“Alright, I’m ending the simulation.”

The hasty, disgruntled phrase is uttered too quickly for Gordon to understand before the helmet of the HEV suit is removed, clearing his vision of the odd fisheye view of the world. It’s turned in his hands to be looked at in brief confusion seen in the reflection.  
  
“Wait, but…” The helmet is searched quickly, with increased franticness. “No. No, this has to be some kind of mistake.”

The rest of their small, ragtag group doesn’t seem to notice Gordon’s pilot pat himself down. He puts the helmet back on and takes it off again as if that would change the result. A device is pulled out of the small side pocket of the suit, showing a scrolling list of messages. Line after line of color coded text darts by almost faster than Gordon can read. His body starts to breathe faster, heart clenching unwillingly. “What… What the _fuck?!_ ”

The words seem to catch the attention of the guard, who opens his mouth.  
  
“No! Nonononono, this can’t be happening! This can’t be _real!_ ” the pilot wails as poking thoughts start beating around Gordon’s head. Stuck. He’s stuck. 

Stuck where?

“People don’t-don’t just end up stuck inside their games!”

That pauses all the chaos and causes eyes to train on Gordon. 

His hands are tugging at his surprisingly long hair. “Shiiiiiiit, does this mean I can’t end the stream?! Are people going to be watching me being stuck?! No wonder everything looked better and felt so real!”

“Gordon, are you alright?” Dr. Coomer asks worriedly.

“ _I’m not okay!_ ” Gordon’s pilot screeches, and the scientists jump in alarm. The panic is radiating through Gordon, and it’s not his own. “I-I- none of this is supposed to be real! This was supposed to be a game I was streaming and-and-and-”

“Gordon, what are you going on about?” Bubby huffs, giving him the stinkeye.

“My name isn’t fucking Gordon, Bubby! My name is Chester! I don’t have a fucking doctorate either, I work in a goddamned 7/11! I’m supposed to be playing my goddamned video game and I'm _stuck inside of it!_ ” Gordon’s pilot snaps. The guard seems especially alarmed at this declaration. “I need to get out, I need to go home! None of this is supposed to be real!”

As his pilot rambles, he backs away in shuffles and getting increasingly hysterical. Their shared hand wipes at their eyes, and Gordon realizes that he was crying. What’s going on?

The mire of panic and confusion seems to culminate when Gordon’s back hits the wall, and he promptly crumples plum on his ass and curls into a ball.

“Mister Freeman-” Tommy tries to say, but Gordon’s pilot cuts him off with a shrill screech.

“ _That’s not my name!_ ”   
  


There’s several moments of Gordon’s pilot sobbing and muttering to himself uncontrollably until one of the AIs decides to act. 

  
“Bro, calm down.” The guard with a seemingly undecided name almost nonchalantly tells ‘Chester’, sidling up next to him and puffing out a few blue Sweetvoice notes. “Just tell it to us straight, let me feed you my balls, and we’ll find a way to fix this.”

‘Chester’ seems to calm down a bit from the visible notes thrown at him, and his breathing evens with some hiccups.  
  
“Benry, you’re going to have to passionately hug Doctor Freeman _after_ the test.” chides Coomer all too casually, and Gordon’s pilot can’t help but giggle hysterically.

“I’m sitting here having a crisis, and you guys are making _sex jokes!_ Goood, is this what having friends is really like?”

“What, you’ve never had friends before?”

“Uh… kinda?” ‘Chester’ sniffles, adjusting Gordon’s glasses. “Like I said, I work a minimum wage job at a gas station. I’m not exactly living my best life.”

“Well, shit man. At least you’ve got us in here, right?”

His pilot nods, and Gordon begins to wonder.


End file.
